


see you in the dark (all eyes on you)

by bananas



Category: Cricket RPF
Genre: Attempted Seduction, Christmas Eve, Christmas Fic Exchange, M/M, Mistletoe, Mutual Pining, Secret Santner 2017, a very broody jimmy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-29
Updated: 2017-12-29
Packaged: 2019-02-23 14:46:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,402
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13192335
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bananas/pseuds/bananas
Summary: After years of pining, Stuart hatches a fool-proof plan to seduce JimmyorBroady tries to seduce Jimmy with his wit and Jimmy tries to seduce Broady by eye-fucking him from across the room





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [joan_waterhouse](https://archiveofourown.org/users/joan_waterhouse/gifts).



> title from "so it goes"  
> this fic is written based on the cutest prompt ever (which can be found at the end because spoilers and it's basically the whole plot of the fic)  
>   
> I'd never actually written this pairing before but the prompt was so cute i had to give it a try! and i liked the way the fic turned out so here it is! i hope you all (especially joanwaterhouse) like it as well
> 
> disclaimer: while this fic is loosely based on real people, all events and dialogues are a figment of my own (and joanwaterhouse's) imagination

Jimmy’s POV

He didn't want to be here. The only reason he’d even showed up was because Rooty had convinced him (with a lot of pouting and promises of beer) and besides, it's not like he had anywhere better to go to on Christmas Eve in Australia. The only people he really knew down under were his teammates (and Michael, but he had a feeling he wouldn’t be welcome at his house, even on Christmas Eve) and wasn’t Christmas about spending with people you know and people (or the person) you love? 

As soon as he'd entered the party, which was already in full swing, he'd zeroed in on the bar, which consisted of a small table stacked with more beer than it could hold. He remained standing next to it going through beer bottles steadily while watching the party (or someone in particular) with slightly narrowed eyes and only occasionally looking away from them (him) to nod at whoever came up to the table for a beer. It wasn’t that he didn’t enjoy events like these; he loved a good party with close friends but, right now, he preferred to stand aside while the younger lads tore up the place, almost literally. Maybe it was a sign of his “fading youth” or “the onset of old age” or whatever Swanny had called it when he’d last spoken to him but regardless, he’d recently began to prefer to be on the sidelines rather than in the thick of it all.

He replaced his finished beer with a fresh one from the crate, not taking his eyes off the boys (or just one) clustered together now cheering on a very intense beer pong game going on in the middle of the makeshift dance floor. Rooty had challenged the reigning champion to a match and now he and Stuart were battling it out in the middle encouraged by the deafening chants of the boys. Any complaints Jimmy might have had usually about the loud noise were long gone now that he had a perfectly good reason to stare so openly as the tall man beat Rooty skillfully and comfortably with a wide grin on his face. He was content watching them both (or just the one) aim and shoot tiny balls into cups and, despite (or because of) the fact that Stuart’s back was to him, he had a pretty good view. 

Stuart ended up winning (of course he did) and after ruffling Rooty's hair and being promptly pushed away, he strolled towards the beer table with a bit of a swagger (there was no other word for it) in his walk. He smiled at Jimmy as he approached and if Jimmy’s heart rate quickened and he felt a little bit hot underneath his collar, well, no one could prove that could they? 

 

Stuart’s POV

He was the first person Stuart had seen when he’d entered the room and the first person he’d wanted to go to but years of restraint had taught him to stand back and wait. He had a carefully constructed plan to execute tonight and he wasn’t going to let his eagerness ruin it. 

_ Step 1. Don’t seem too desperate or eager; don’t show how badly you want to talk or touch or even be near him. _

He’d felt his eyes on him since he’d entered but he didn’t give in, didn’t go to him as much as he wanted to.

It wasn’t difficult to let himself get distracted by the party; Rooty had a karaoke machine set up and then challenged him to beer pong. It worked for him because it kept him busy and the center of attention at the same time which meant that  _ he _ was looking at him as well. 

Only after at least an hour had passed since his arrival and he’d just beaten Rooty fair and square (almost) in the match did he let himself be pulled towards the corner where Jimmy was leaned against the wall with a beer bottle in hand, looking more like a model under these dark lights, with the shadows falling across his face, than a cricketer. He walked towards him as Jimmy continued to stare at him with hooded eyes and an unreadable expression, even when Stuart gave him his most charming smile. 

_ Step 2. Plan a greeting beforehand. This step may seem unimportant but the greeting is what sets the tone of the conversation. _

“Hi.” (He could have sworn he’d had something more eloquent planned than that, one that sounded nonchalant and yet was a better conversation starter than a basic “Hi”.)

He got a nod in response with a gesture towards the beer and he complied and grabbed one. He leaned up against the wall next to him and followed Jimmy’s gaze, which now rested another game of beer pong going on in the middle between Jonny and Rooty now.

_ Step 3. Start the conversation off light and maybe add some teasing comments. This will allow you a smooth, almost unnoticeable transition into flirting. _

“Didn’t expect to see you here tonight.” (He’d actually interrogated Rooty about whether Jimmy would attend and then forced him to convince Jimmy to come tonight, but that was neither here nor there.)

“Didn’t expect to be here tonight.” 

“Had a better offer?”

That brought out a small smile. “No, actually I didn’t.”

“Yeah well, I’m glad you’re here tonight. Life of the party you are, clearly.” (A compliment followed by a sarcastic comment; this plan is genius, really.)

“Actually that appears to be you, Mr. Beer Pong champion. Nice game out there. Glad to see Rooty got what was coming from him.”

“Thanks mate. But what did Rooty do to you to deserve that?”

“Well, he practically dragged me here tonight didn’t he? Was so bloody insistent, he wouldn’t shut up about it.”

(Bribing Rooty with the promise of letting him play on his Xbox whenever he wanted was worth it; the man really did the job right.)

“Aren’t you having a good time? It’s a pretty good party so far. We’re going to have a karaoke contest after this, Christmas themed and all.”

“Yeah mate, definitely looking forward to that.”

_ Reminder: Jimmy is sarcastic by nature. Don’t let it discourage or deter you. _

“You don’t have to participate, you can just cheer me on while I beat them all again.”

“Beat them how? With your non-existent singing talent?”

(He laughed when he said this. A good sign.)

“Hey, I can sing! Didn’t you hear me before? I nailed that cover of “Last Christmas" if you ask me.” (He added a pout for good measure and he didn’t miss how Jimmy’s eyes flicked to his lips and stared at them when he did. Success?)

“Yeah, I heard how you butchered it.” 

(Continue the pout. No need to reply when it’s working so well. Jimmy’s eyes haven’t moved from his lips and it’s been 9 seconds and counting. Success.) 

“Oi lads! If you’re done staring at each other, we’re about to start the karaoke contest. Woakesy and Jonny are almost done setting it up. Didn’t you want to go first Broady?” 

(Damn it Rooty. He’s never going to let him play on the Xbox for this.)


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> stuart and jimmy continue trying to seduce each other in very different and very questionable ways

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i've linked the song that stuart sings in this chap at one point and i would highly recommend [listening to it](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6uiijYqXnI) or [reading the lyrics](https://genius.com/Skillet-yours-to-hold-lyrics) so it makes more sense

Stuart’s POV

_ Step 4. A big, romantic gesture may seem too over the top and extravagant but it is fool proof in letting your future significant other know how you feel about them. _

“What did you think then? Better than my first performance?” 

(Serenading your (hopefully) future boyfriend with a cover of [Skillet’s Yours To Hold](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6uiijYqXnI) wasn’t subtle but it must be effective, considering how Jimmy didn’t drop his gaze the entire time and stared at him so intensely that Stuart had felt his pants tighten towards the end of his performance.)

“Yeah, uh, definitely.” (He sounds flustered; it’s working.)

“So no mocking my singing talent this time?”

(Jimmy, who hadn’t looked away even once when he was on stage, was now staring resolutely ahead and looking everywhere but at him.)

“I’m just trying to be nice to you. You seemed pretty upset when I teased you earlier.” (His guard was back up, Stuart could tell.) 

He then walked away without another word leaving a very confused Stuart in his wake. He’d have followed him if Jonny hadn’t grabbed him excitedly shouting about the final results being announced very soon and dragged him towards the karaoke stage. 

He didn’t find him for a while after that. His eyes swept the room constantly when he was stood near Rooty and Mark Wood who were excitedly calculating (debating) who deserved to win. (“Broady gave the most moving rendition of Yours to Hold I’ve ever seen! It has to be him!” “No way Mark! It’s a Christmas party and he didn’t even sing a Christmassy song. You have to give it to Jonny; he nailed that cover of Jingle Bells!” “He literally said Jingle Bells Batman smells at one point. How is that even Christmas themed at all?” “What do you mean? It’s the best line in the whole song!”)  

He didn’t spot him until he’d received his award. (Alastair ended up interfering to mediate the argument and gave him the award despite Joe’s pouts and complaints.) He was leaned up against the back wall again only this time his eyes weren’t trained on Stuart, they were cast down on his phone where he was looking in deep concentration. He didn’t respond when Stuart approached or even when grabbed a beer and stood next to him, closer than before, but still not touching. 

Stuart dipped his head back to take a swig from the beer bottle when he felt something bristly brush the top of his head. With a soft, “Ow”, let out in shock rather than in pain, he looked up and reached for what had just brushed his head. Jimmy’s head had turned towards him at the sound of his voice and he followed Stuart’s gaze to the top of his head. 

Turning the small object that had just poked him around in his fingers, Stuart realized what he was standing right under. His eyes widened in shock and he felt Jimmy's stare while he was still holding on to the tiny branch of mistletoe. He let it go and moved away from under the plant abruptly. This wasn’t part of his plan. This wasn’t part of his plan at all. He knew how shell-shocked he must look right now but Jimmy, who he was somehow standing even closer to now and was staring directly at, didn’t react to his expression at all and continued to stare at him with the same broody, unreadable look but, now, with a hint of challenge in his eyes, as if daring him to do what the presence of the tiny plant meant he had to do. 

Stuart swallowed loudly and he felt his heart beating so hard, it might burst out of his chest. He met Jimmy’s dark eyes which were staring at him so intensely, it made his pulse race even more. His eyes flickered down to Jimmy’s lips and he watched the other man follow that movement and begin to smirk. Feeling very much like a deer in headlights, Stuart was very unsure of what to do next and decided (not his best decision) to break the silence with an awkward, “Um,” as Jimmy continued to stare at him. Jimmy’s smirk dropped then and he rolled his eyes and, to Stuart’s immense surprise (but no one else’s), leaned forward and kissed him. 

The kiss was perfect, of course, by all standards. The hooting and cheering that erupted around them, however, was not. Jimmy glared at the crowd in the room when they broke apart, especially Rooty who was cheering the loudest, followed by Jonny, while Stuart just stood there, red-cheeked, dazed and feeling very much like a teenage girl being kissed in front of the whole school by the popular jock who she’s had a crush on since freshman year. Rooty broke free from the crowd and came and pulled them both into a hug which Jimmy immediately tried to wrestle out of and pretty soon left Stuart with a very strong and very clingy Joe wrapped around his neck, shouting rubbish about how proud he was of them and how he had told Jos he was born to play cupid. 

When Stuart finally managed to pry him away, the crowd that had gathered was now dispersed thankfully and he gently (kind of) pushed Joe off him, towards a very drunk Chris Woakes whose cheeks were redder than Stuart’s even and watched them disappear into the crowd, clinging to each other. 

It was only when he turned back to Jimmy, did he remember what had just happened between them and the nerves and awkwardness he’d felt before the kiss returned in full force. Jimmy however, much like during the kiss, was happy to take the lead. 

Also like before, Jimmy stared past Stuart at the dance floor and didn’t meet his eye. When he spoke, he continued staring ahead and spoke in a nonchalant, disinterested tone, “So we should probably talk about that.”

“Uh, yeah, I guess.”

“Unless you don’t want to, of course. It was just a kiss under mistletoe.”

Stuart let out a loud “No!” before he could help himself, causing Jimmy to look at him with raised eyebrows but a hint of smile on his face. 

He cleared his throat awkwardly, his cheeks colouring again, “I mean, no, it wasn’t just a kiss under the mistletoe.”

“It wasn’t?” Jimmy asked with a slightly surprised smile on his face.

“No of course not. I mean, not for me at least?”  

Jimmy gave a wide, uninhibited smile this time, the one he saved for special occasions like a five-wicket haul or when he’s teasing Finny. 

“Me neither.”

Stuart made a surprised noise involuntarily, “Really?”

“Yeah.”

Stuart tried his best to give a calmer, more composed reply than to the ones he’d given previously so he cleared his throat and very casually said, “Cool.” He was, however, unable to stop himself smiling like an absolute idiot.

“Yeah, cool,” Jimmy replied with a wry smile and then leaned back against the wall like before, only this time, his shoulder was in contact with Stuart’s as they continued to drink their beers and observe the party in front of them.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you so much for reading!! and to joanwaterhouse, i really hope you liked it and thank you for the lovely prompt  
> here is the prompt for anyone wondering:  
>  _Stuart Broad / Jimmy Anderson:_  
>  _It's the team Christmas Party and somebody (Rooty) has brought some mistletoe. While kissing your team mate can be hilarious under the right circumstances it can be awkward when there are feeeelings. (I'd be happiest if mutual pining ends with love and rainbows. :3 )_  
> 


End file.
